Cambridge University PhD student and teacher Bobby Seagull has revealed he turned down an offer to appear on Celebrity Big Brother after his appearances on the BBC quiz show University Challenge went viral.

Mr Seagull earned a cult following amongst some of the show's viewers as team captain of Emmanuel College during their run to the quiz's semi-finals last year.

The part-time maths teacher at Chesterton Community College told the Press Association he was also asked last year by the makers of Channel 5 reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother to become a housemate.

He said: "A year ago after University Challenge, I'm sure they give calls to lots and lots of people, Celebrity Big Brother did give me a call and asked if I would be interested.

"My response was that I was very flattered they'd asked me but it wasn't quite the right fit at the right time."

The ambassador for National Numeracy has also announced he is releasing a book.

In The Life-Changing Magic of Numbers, which hits shelves on October 25, 2018, Bobby illuminates the world of numbers, told through stories from his life and everyday themes, including sports, relationships, and, of course, quiz shows.

When asked what he thought the future held, he said: “Who knows in the future? For now I'm trying to build my portfolio in terms of maths and education and really trying to become almost like the Jamie Oliver of maths.

"Jamie Oliver helped to introduce healthy food in schools. I would love to be the equivalent for mathematics where I can help change how people nationally think about it.

"I never say never to reality shows, but I was very polite when I said it wasn't quite the thing I wanted to do then."

He is also set to appear in a new advert for retailer Argos, where he returns to the set of University Challenge and he pits his wits against a team of smart home system devices.

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When asked if he thought that robots may one day appear on the long-running programme, Mr Seagull said: "I guess in the future there will be artificial intelligence versions of people taking part in quiz shows.

"The pace of technology always astounds us. Who would have thought 20 or even 10 years ago that we would be glued to our phones?

"I read that adults on average touch their smart phones once every 12 minutes. Technology is integral to our lives."